Football Nightmare Read Online Free

friends.
    Finally, Heck spoke. “I guess Cody and I sort of hoped you’d change your mind, but … okay, if you won’t, you won’t.”
    “I just don’t think I want to do it this year,” Keith said. “But we’re still friends, right?”
    “Sure,” Heck said, but Keith didn’t think he sounded very enthusiastic about it. “It’s just we won’t be seeing that much of you once practice starts.”
    “Yeah, I know,” Keith agreed, not happy with that notion.
    “Well, maybe we could watch some videos this weekend or go to a movie,” suggested Heck.
    “Sure, that’d be cool,” Keith said.
    Cody stood up, looking unhappy. “I have to go home. You coming, Heck?”
    Heck shook his head. “Go ahead, I’ll see you tomorrow, all right?”
    “Yeah, sure.” Cody kicked the ground and stood there, looking from Heck to Keith. “Anyway … later, guys.”
    Keith watched Cody walk out of the yard and turned to Heck. “I know you think I’m being a total jerk —”
    “No, you don’t,” Heck cut in.
    Keith was startled. “Huh?”
    “You
don’t
know what I think,” Heck said calmly. “So don’t say you do. I don’t think you’re being a total jerk at all. But, if we’re really going to talk about this, I’ll tell you what I
do
think.”
    Keith shrugged. “Go ahead.”
    “I think you feel like it was all your fault that we lost that game, and that’s not true. Billy overthrew a pass in the first half when you were totally open and if you’d caught it we would have had six points more than we did.
    “Cody missed a block that let a guy get through and throw me for a loss. If we’d gotten a first down there we might have scored a touchdown. The tight end didn’t make a move toward the sideline when he was supposed to and if he had, maybe we’d have scored on that series. The —”
    “Okay, okay, I see what you’re saying,” Keith said impatiently. “But we
still
would have won the game if I had caught that last pass … which I should have and didn’t.”
    Heck sighed and said, “Wow. You really have a high opinion of yourself, don’t you?”
    Stung, Keith snapped, “What is that supposed to mean? What are you talking about?”
    “Anyone else can make a mistake and it’s no big deal, but when
you
make one, it’s like,
‘Stop the presses! The great Keith Stedman messed up!’
The rest of us guys are allowed to mess up, but not Keith Stedman!”
    “Very funny!” Keith yelled.
    “No, it’s not funny — it’s sad,” Heck said. “You’re the one who’s giving yourself a hard time. If you’d just let it go, so would everyone else. But if you can’t, you’re better off staying out of sports. You’ll just drive yourself crazy, and take your friends along for the ride.”
    He jumped up and walked quickly away. Keith got to his feet and noticed that his little sister was standing there, looking upset. How much had she heard and understood?
    He smiled, trying to look as if everything was cool. “Hey, Trace, what’s up?”
    She didn’t say a word, but it seemed like she might be about to cry.
    “Trace? What’s the matter? Come on, you can tell me, what is it?”
    Very softly, almost too softly for him to hear, she said, “You’ll be mad at me.”
    “No, I won’t. Come on, Trace, I promise I won’t get mad. If there’s something wrong, tell me. Please?”
    “Aren’t you going to play football anymore? Ever?”
    Keith didn’t know what to say.
    “I’m not going to play for a while, anyway. I don’t know about ‘ever.’ But not right now. Did you hear what Heck and I were talking about out here?”
    She nodded. “Uh-huh. You were having an argument.”
    “Well, I wouldn’t call it an
argument
exactly, Trace. …”
    “And you said you didn’t want to play football and I felt sad.”
    Keith walked over and kneeled down facing the young girl. “Why does my not playing football make you sad?”
    “Because I liked to go and see you play and now I won’t be able to.